Integrating Medical Writing into Pharmacy Curricula: Design and Evaluation of an Online Elective Course

To describe the implementation and effectiveness of an online medical writing elective for third-year student pharmacists.

A 16-week asynchronous online medical writing elective was developed and evaluated through anonymous precourse and postcourse surveys administered to 5 student cohorts (2019 to 2023). The precourse survey measured baseline confidence in medical writing and peer feedback skills. The postcourse survey assessed changes in confidence after students completed 2 major writing assignments, each with a peer review component.

A total of 188 students (93.1%) completed the precourse survey, and 98 students (48.5%) completed the postcourse survey. Most students had no prior experience in publishing, but did have prior experience providing peer feedback. Postcourse survey results indicated that, compared to baseline, students demonstrated significantly increased confidence in medical writing competencies following course completion. These included writing for a patient audience, applying American Medical Association (AMA) style, and producing content that is clear, scientifically accurate, and free from bias. Students also showed increased confidence in composing original content without templates and in evaluating the work of their peers.

A medical writing elective with opportunities for formative feedback through peer review significantly improved students' confidence in key aspects of medical writing. Our findings underscore the value of a focused curriculum that incrementally builds core writing competencies through assignments and structured feedback.